


maybe it was meant to be(but probably not)

by theboyonthemoon



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Disassociation, Eret-centric, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, I have so many ideas, Memories, Sacrifices, actual writing and not just a chatfic for once, eret angst go brrr, everyone is sad, overwhelmed eret, tubbo dies but it's not permanent, tubbox jokes are too painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27597623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboyonthemoon/pseuds/theboyonthemoon
Summary: eret sits on the floor of their castle. their castle which is no longer theirs, but george's. they hold the shattered fragments of their crown in their cold, uncaring palm. they sigh, and gold dust billows around them, pieces of the once-regal ornament crumbling, falling to the ground. they do not care. they wonder why.or, eret looks over memories and wonders how it got to this
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	maybe it was meant to be(but probably not)

**Author's Note:**

> lmao sorry yall i'm not going to be updating the chatfic for a while, i have so many different ideas and i promise i'll get back to the chatfic soon
> 
> WARNING! this fic contains spoilers of the events that happened on the dream smp on november 16th. if you didn't catch the stream, i highly recommend you go watch one of the VODs that some of the dream smp ccs posted.
> 
> they/them pronouns used for eret because it's easier for me to write :)
> 
> not shipping eret and fundy. i know it may seem like that but dw they are just good friends :)
> 
> TW for... shooting someone with rockets?? crying and also descriptions of dissociation
> 
> lapslock on purpose

eret sits on the floor their castle. their castle which is no longer theirs, but george's. they hold the shattered fragments of their crown in their cold, uncaring palm. they sigh, and gold dust flutters around them, pieces of the once-regal ornament crumbling, falling to the ground. they do not care. they wonder why.

they think. eret sees a scene flash before their eyes. a boy. he wears a suit and tie, it must be an occasion. there is terror in his eyes. _tubbo,_ a voice in eret's head says. they nod and accept the information. tubbo is the boy's name. _zoom out_. a warrior stands before him. crossbow loaded with what can only be a firework. he wears a mask, and he spares nothing but ghosts. _technoblade,_ the voice prompts. eret, once again, accepts the information. techno, the warrior. the blood god.

the crossbow is locked directly on its target. ~~the boy~~ tubbo's face. a bang, a cry, and a shout from the rooftops. another, standing in tubbo's place. braces, blond, messy hair, and eyes that look as if they are meant to smile. the newcomer is not smiling. he slashes technoblade with an axe. he cradles tubbo in his arms.

the former king can tell without even squinting that tubbo is on his deathbed. this time, the voice doesn't need to tell eret what the newcomer's name is.

"tommy..." tubbo whispers. tubbo smiles a soft smile and breathes no more.

a tear, a hand pressed to a mouth, a blue-green pearl and then nothing.

eret opens their eyes. there is a crudely-made flamingo hanging upside-down from the ceiling. they stare at it. another image comes to mind. a hat crammed over orange hair and ears to match. _fundy_ , the voice once again supplies. eret knows him from somewhere. eret thinks they like him. flashing, sparkling, dazzling black eyes. a grin. for them? eret is confused. why would anyone grin at eret? they are a traitor.

"come on, eret! it was only a prank, man! please don't tell dream!"

and there they are, standing next to fundy. they are different, in this memory. they carry themselves differently, standing tall and regal, even proud.

"it's quite alright, fundy. i quite like the 'mingos, really. they're cute. i won't tell dream, don't worry."

eret thinks they quite like how fundy looks at them. like they are worth a smile. like they are worth all the time in the world. eret, however, knows they do not like the name that the other spoke. _dream_.

as if on queue, another memory presents itself. a man with a mask. smiling? no, frowning. looking at them. but not the way fundy looks at them. a different way. an _angry_ way. his lips are moving, but all eret hears is ringing. they have just been delivered bad news. they have just lost something. what is it? the voice, ever-reliable, provides the answer. _your kingship_ , the voice says. _dream took your kingship._

eret tries again to remember. they try to hear what dream is saying.

"as king of dream smp, which you are and have been, what do you think gives you power?"

a pause.

"is it your crown, is it the fact that you're king?"

eret speaks. involuntarily, maybe.

"those who have been given power, hold onto it."

dream nods slowly, pretending to absorb the information.

"okay...how?"

eret surprises themself by speaking again.

"i think respect is a big thing."

dream nods again.

"sure, respect is big."

a pause.

"if respect is the only thing protecting you from a knife in the back, respect is nothing, right?"

they think they understand. they do not want to understand.

"what are you saying, dream?"

"i'm saying that you don't have power because of your crown, you have power because of me. and you have power because of the other members of dream smp. like punz, and sapnap, that _give_ you power by protecting you, and protecting your kingship. am i wrong?"

eret hesitates, though they know the answer.

"you're not wrong."

"now, i'm not saying... for you to do anything, i'm actually saying the opposite. you should do nothing because you are the king of dream smp and this is a war between two different countries and dream smp is _not_ involved and by getting involved or implying involvement, you are betraying the dream smp."

they do not care about betraying whatever that is. they are not sorry.

" _you_ are the king. you stay neutral. you let pogtopia and l'manberg work it out, see what happens, then, y'know, hopefully, y'know, _hopefully_ , there'll be _neither_ afterwards and it's only more land for you. right?"

eret finds something inside themself that they didn't think they could feel anymore. _anger_.

"so your plan is that they cancel each other out and then we reap the benefits."

dream chuckles, and there is something in his eyes. knowing, maybe. knowing what?

"my plan is that there is no manberg, there is no l'manberg, there is no pogtopia, there is just dream smp and there's dream smp everywhere and that's been my plan since the very beginning, i've never wavered on that, that's why i had you betray them, and that's why i gave you kingship because i felt like you [small pause] like you would be a good king, because you're neutral."

eret has never been neutral. eret will never be neutral.

"i know - i-i know that you - i feel like you don't really push for power, you're not very, like, vengeful, y'know, i feel like, y'know, you don't hold grudges. you're very neutral. and just, y'know - you're kind of just the head of everything. you just sit there, and you look pretty, and that's it, right?"

they know what dream is saying. dream is saying that eret is only a puppet. a pretty doll that makes no official calls. just a figurine to sit on the throne and make the public believe, just for a second, that things are under control.

"okay. well. that's all i really have to say, i just have to say- remember where your power comes from, because it doesn't come from a pretty little crown. it comes from an axe, and a shield, alright?"

it is not alright. it will never be alright. eret does not care if it is alright or not.

"i understand."

the masked man smiles unsettlingly and puts his hand on eret's shoulder. it is more threatening than comforting.

"alright. we'll see you soon, eret."

we? eret looks up in time to see a brown-haired man standing next to dream, wearing... glasses? goggles. _george_. the memory fades away.

they are laying on the wooden floor of someone else's castle, in the dark, their face wet. _why_? they are crying, eret realizes. they somehow know that it has been hours.

eret feels sad. they feel... lonely. maybe they should find the man who looked at them all nice and sparkly. _fundy._

they speak aloud. maybe for the last time for a while.

"where are you?"

movement at the edge of their vision. not fundy. george? they are suddenly on their feet, the remnants of the crown forgotten. the blue-clad man takes a step towards them. eret does not want to fight. they are tired of fighting. they want to lay down. they run, from the place that isn't home anymore. maybe it never was.

never was?

never meant to be.

this sounds familiar.

no more memories.

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhhh
> 
> finally some actual writing lol, this took me wayyyyy too long to finish
> 
> tysm to @diamantspitzhacke for transcripting the eret losing their kingship scene, it was super helpful since i have a lot of trouble with audio processing, it really helped a lot :)
> 
> today's stream was... wild... so expect to see a lot of angst fics coming ur way :D
> 
> i also have another fic idea about the buttons in pogtopia, would you all want to see that?


End file.
